Earthquake Dissipator

Abstract

The seismic device has a housing configured to engage a first structure and a plurality of pairs of cross members configured to receive a portion of a base plate member configured to engage a second structure, the cross members of each pair being biased toward one another to provide a frictional force on the base plate member that resists axial movement of each pair of cross members relative to the base plate member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] For the purposes of this disclosure, the present disclosure relates to seismic devices, which are generally referred to by many terms such as seismic dissipators or dissipators, and are called seismic devices or seismic isolation devices for the purposes of this specification. Seismic devices are generally used to protect structures such as buildings from earthquakes or similar seismic hazards.

Background Art

[0002] Protection from earthquakes is beneficial for buildings, especially in areas with a high risk of earthquakes. Many countries, such as those in the Pacific Rim region, have experienced devastating earthquakes, and the seismic safety of structures has become a major issue.

[0003] Seismic devices provide a way to prevent structures from completely following the movement of the ground when the ground shakes during an earthquake. Thereby, seismic devices are designed to reduce the forces and accelerations applied to structures during an earthquake and prevent damage to the structures. For this, it is necessary to design the seismic device to allow a certain amount of movement to occur, absorb or dissipate a certain amount of energy, or a combination of these two characteristics.

[0004] Many seismic devices have been proposed, most of which rely on some form of elastic or resilient material that helps absorb force, and in many cases, rely on another material to absorb some of the energy generated by ground movement or use friction.

[0005] Known forms of seismic devices include materials such as rubber and lead. Rubber functions as an elastic material that absorbs energy so that sudden changes in the magnitude and direction of force are not immediately transmitted from the foundation to the structure and allows the structure to return to its stationary position relative to the foundation. Lead can serve as a damper that releases energy as heat. One of the problems with these known devices is that they require relatively expensive and specialized structures and require maintenance and replacement of materials. For example, rubber can be damaged.

[0006] While some other proposals for seismic isolation devices do not necessarily use materials that deform within their elastic limits, and typically rely on mechanical friction or some other means, these proposals are intended to provide a very limited number of foundations with respect to the axis of movement between structures or structural elements, usually passing through only a single axis. Because other products use materials that deform plastically, the devices may fail in the event of a sudden aftershock and will require at least repair or replacement after a major earthquake. A seismic isolation device is needed that provides dissipation, recentering, and / or seismic isolation performance during an earthquake, but is relatively efficient in terms of cost, installation procedure, and maintenance. the purpose [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide seismic isolation devices, particularly dissipators, that overcome at least some of the shortcomings of prior proposals or provide at least one useful alternative. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to an earthquake dissipator, A housing configured to engage with a supported structure, A plurality of pairs of cross members relating to a housing, each pair of cross members comprising a plurality of pairs of cross members configured to receive a base plate member or a portion of a base plate member, The base plate member is configured to engage with the support structure. The seismic dissipator is provided, in which each pair of cross members is biased toward each other to impart a frictional force to the base plate member that resists the axial movement of each pair of cross arms relative to the base plate member.

[0009] The contours of each pair of cross members may provide a restoring or re-centering force to return the device to its resting position.

[0010] The first structure may include a supported structure, which is typically positioned vertically above the dissipator. The supported structure may include, but is not limited to, buildings, storage tanks, storage shelves, and equipment.

[0011] The second structure may include a support structure, which is typically positioned vertically below the dissipator. The support structure may include, but is not limited to, a foundation.

[0012] In another aspect, this disclosure is: Base plate member, A housing configured to engage with a supported structure, A plurality of pairs of cross members relating to a housing, each pair of cross members comprising a plurality of pairs of cross members configured to receive a base plate member, The system provides a configuration in which each pair of cross members is biased toward each other to impart a frictional force to the base plate member that resists the axial movement of each pair of cross members relative to the base plate member.

[0013] In another embodiment, the present invention is The steps include receiving the base plate member into multiple pairs of cross members, The present invention provides a method for seismic dissipation of a structure, comprising the steps of: biasing each pair of cross members toward each other so as to impart a frictional force to the base plate member that resists the axial movement of each pair of cross members relative to the base plate member.

[0014] In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to an earthquake dissipation device, A housing configured to engage with a first structure, A plurality of pairs of cross members related to a housing, each pair of cross members comprising a plurality of pairs of cross members configured to receive a portion of a base plate member, The seismic dissipation device is provided in which each pair of cross members is biased toward each other so as to impart a frictional force to the base plate member that resists the axial movement of each pair of cross members relative to the base plate member.

[0015] In another aspect, the present invention is an earthquake-resistant device, A housing configured to engage with a first structure, A plurality of pairs of cross members related to a housing, each pair of cross members configured to receive a protruding member, The protruding member is configured to engage with the second structure. Each pair of cross members is biased toward each other such that it imparts a frictional force to the protruding member that resists the axial movement of each pair of cross members relative to the protruding member.

[0016] Other embodiments may also include systems, apparatus, or methods comprising any or all combinations of two or more parts, elements, or features mentioned or shown individually or collectively in this Spec. If any particular integer mentioned herein has known equivalents in the relevant art of the Invention, these known equivalents shall be deemed incorporated herein as described separately.

[0017] Further embodiments can be found in the attached claims. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] One or more embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings: [Figure 1] This is an isometric view of a device in a wooden structure system. [Figure 2]It is a schematic diagram of a device configured to be compatible with a concrete structure system. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram of a device configured to be compatible with a mastimber structure system. [Figure 4] It is a front view of the device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is a side view showing the device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] It is a plan view of FIGS. 4 and 5. [Figure 7] It is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. [Figure 8] It is a plan cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 7 including an enlarged portion. [Figure 9] It is an isometric view of only the base plate assembly. [Figure 10] It is an isometric view of the housing assembly. [Figure 11] It is an isometric view combining the elements shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. [Figure 12] It is an enlarged plan view of the cross member part 81 of FIG. 8. [Figure 13] It is an enlarged elevation view of the cross member part 81 in FIG. 8. [Figure 14] It is an enlarged view of the cross member end in FIGS. 12 and 13 described above. [Figure 15] It is a plan cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1, showing an extreme state of movement in the main direction across the plane. [Figure 16] It is a plan cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1, showing an extreme state of movement in the main direction across the corner. In this document, the same reference numerals are used throughout the accompanying drawings to represent the same features in the various structures, embodiments, or examples disclosed.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] This specification typically refers to external sources, including patent specifications and other documents, to provide background for describing the features of the invention. Unless otherwise stated, in no country or region shall a citation to such sources be construed as acknowledging that such sources constitute part of the state of the art or the prior art in that field.

[0020] As used herein, the term "and / or" means "and" or "or," or both. As used herein, the term "comprising" means "consisting of at least a portion of." When interpreting descriptions containing the term "...including..." in this specification and in the claims, other features may exist in addition to the feature beginning with that term in each description. Related terms such as "comprise" and "comprises" are interpreted similarly.

[0021] To provide an example of the installation of the present invention and an example of a possible overall assembly and expected usage environment, an example of a schematic diagram of a foundation floor frame 1 supported on a foundation system 2 is shown in Figure 1. Depending on the requirements of the structural design, such assemblies can be replicated multiple times around a typical structure. The supported structure and the supporting structure may include suitable types of any form, and suitable systems are known to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates and are therefore not described in detail herein. Figures 2 and 3 show two such alternative configurations. The first structure, e.g., the underfloor frame 1, is generally referred to herein as the supported structure. The second structure, e.g., the foundation 2, is generally referred to herein as the supporting structure. In most embodiments, the supported structure and the supporting structure are located above and below the dissipator device, but the system is not limited to such configurations.

[0022] In some embodiments, the seismic isolation device system related to the present invention includes a plurality of seismic isolation devices shown by reference numeral 3 in Figure 1.

[0023] Figure 1 shows that the seismic isolation device 3 is connected to a pair of support bases 1 and foundation piles 2. This is a preferred configuration, and as will be explained in the following examples, it should be understood that other structural engagement arrangements between the supported structure 1 and the dissipator 3 are also possible. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the structure 1 is shown as a wooden frame, but it should be understood that other supported structures and other support structures 2 may be used together with the seismic isolation device 3 disclosed herein.

[0024] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, cross-sectional views of the supported structure 1, the supporting structure 2, and the other two components of the seismic isolation device 3 are shown.

[0025] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the seismic isolation device includes a housing 4 configured to connect to a supported structure and a base plate member 5 configured to connect to a support structure. The housing 4 may simply include one or more outer walls, as will be apparent from the following description. Therefore, in some embodiments, the housing does not need to be a complete housing. For example, the support structure or supported structure may provide part of the housing. Also, in some embodiments, the housing may be associated with or configured to connect to a support structure, and the base plate member may be configured to connect to a supported structure.

[0026] In the illustrated embodiment, the cover plate 6 is mounted on the top of the housing 4 and connected perpendicularly to the base plate member 5, but is capable of sliding laterally within the boundary.

[0027] Figure 6 shows a plan view of the assembly parts according to the embodiment.

[0028] Figure 7 shows the first cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the seismic isolation device. The cover plate 6 and base plate member 5 are connected to both sides of the housing 4 by a number of elongated assemblies 7. These assemblies may include nut and bolt assemblies, or other assemblies that perform the same function. This may be affected by welding the elongated assemblies 7 to the base plate member 5 and cover plate 6, although other connection configurations are also possible. In one example, threads may be cut into the relevant parts of the member 7, and nuts may be engaged with the threaded parts to create tension between them, thereby firmly positioning the cover plate 6 on the base plate member 5 with the housing 4 positioned between them. As described above, the housing 4 may be operably connected to other parts of the supported structure 1 and the base plate member 5 may be connected to other parts of the support structure 2, if necessary.

[0029] Referring to Figure 8, the dissipator device 3 is shown in an enlarged partial cross-section. In one embodiment, for example, one or more projections 7 are provided, including portions that depend directly or indirectly on the base plate member 5. In one embodiment, the projections 7 include pins. In one embodiment, the pins are elongated. In the illustrated embodiment, there are six elongated members 7. However, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in some embodiments there may be fewer than six elongated members 7, or more than six elongated members 7. The elongated members 7 protrude through the center of the housing 4 but are not connected to it. In the illustrated example, the elongated members 7 are connected to the cover plate 6 and the base plate member 5.

[0030] As can be seen from Figure 8, unlike the other elements, the housing 4 may move freely within the boundary. Returning to Figure 1, it is shown that the superstructure 1 remains fixed in the vertical plane (i.e., in the plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the substructure 2) while being able to move freely laterally relative to the substructure 2 in the horizontal plane (i.e., in the plane approximately perpendicular or nearly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the substructure 2).

[0031] The base plate member 5 extends horizontally beyond the perimeter of the housing 4. This extension provides a suitable vertical surface for the supported structure 1 when the seismic device 3 moves as described above, as shown in Figures 1 and 5.

[0032] The housing 4 has upper and lower interfaces configured to slide relative to the base plate member 5 and the cover plate 6. For clarity, the elements shown in Figure 9 move differently from the elements shown in Figure 10, and a combined diagram of these two figures is shown in Figure 11.

[0033] Figure 8 shows the overall shape of housing 4. In this example, the housing is hexagonal in plan view. However, as the disclosure as a whole is considered, those skilled in the art will understand that other geometric shapes are possible. For example, in some embodiments, there may be fewer sides, such as four, or more sides, such as eight.

[0034] The assembly within housing 4 provides a mechanism for controlling the relative horizontal movement between housing 4 and plates 5 and 6. Thus, the mechanism for controlling the movement between the support structure 2 and the supported structure 1 is described with reference to Figures 8 and 12-16.

[0035] Referring to Figure 8, it can be seen that the housing 4 can accommodate multiple pairs of cross members 8. Each pair of cross members includes a first cross arm 81 and a second cross arm 82. As will be described later, the cross arms 81 and 82 are biased toward each other and operate together. In the illustrated example, the biasing means includes clamping mechanisms 10 on both sides of the pair of cross arms 8. In a preferred embodiment, the clamping mechanisms are in the form of bolts and nuts, but those skilled in the art will understand that other mechanisms can achieve a similar purpose. The bolts 10 are pre-tensioned by a spring mechanism 9, providing a force that guides the cross arms 81, 82 toward each other. Figure 14 shows an example of a biasing means in which the bolts 10 constrain the spring assembly 9, thereby biasing the cross arms 8 away from the ends of the bolts 10 toward a pair of opposing cross arms. The applied biasing force can be adjusted by changing the spring characteristics or selecting a disc washer stack washer (such as the number or stacking of washers and / or spring constant) and the tension applied to the bolts 10. The applied force, along with the coefficient of friction between the inner surfaces of each cross arm 81, 82 and the outer surfaces of the adjacent member 7, generates a frictional force that prevents relative movement between the member 7 and each cross arm 8 along the longitudinal axis of each cross arm 8. This controls the movement between the supported structure 1 and the supporting structure 2 by providing a force that resists relative movement and helps absorb energy.

[0036] Each pair of cross members 8 accepts multiple elongated members 7. In the example shown, each pair 8 accepts two of the pairs 7a-7f that traverse the device. The six members 7a-7f are arranged at equal intervals around the center of gravity of the base plate 5. There are three pairs of cross arms 8. The first pair accepts members 7a and 7f. The second pair accepts 7b and 7e. The third pair accepts 7c and 7d. As shown in Figure 7, one pair of 8 is positioned higher than the other, and the ends of each pair 8 abut against the corresponding wall of the housing 4. This prevents the cross arm pairs 8 from moving axially relative to the housing 4, but they can move parallel to adjacent housing walls 4.

[0037] Furthermore, each arm 81, 82 is contoured on its inner surface to provide one or more movement control regions 11. Arrows 11a and 11b in Figure 8 indicate the movement control regions of the first pair of cross arms (7a, 7f). By contouring the inner surfaces of each arm 81, 82 (i.e., the surfaces facing the other arms), movement control regions are formed, so that the distance between the arms 81, 82 is widest at the defined stationary position of the member 7 and decreases with distance along each arm from the defined stationary position. As will be further described below, such an arrangement provides a restoring force to return the base plate to a desired or required stationary position relative to the housing. In the illustrated embodiment, this can be considered an increasing recentering force between the member 7 and the pair of cross arms 8 during relative movement between the supported structure 1 and the supporting structure 2 during an earthquake, which can prompt the member 7 to return to its initial stationary position to return the supported structure 1 to its original position relative to the supporting structure 2 after the earthquake.

[0038] In some embodiments, each arm 81, 82 may have a contour on only one inner surface. Furthermore, each movement control region 11 does not need to be configured to have the same contour. Figure 12 is a schematic plan view showing the contour of arm 81 in one embodiment, but this contour may be varied to allow the seismic device to achieve different characteristics. The contour may be configured with a spring structure to provide a desired or required degree or performance of seismic dissipation. This same portion is again shown in the elevation view of Figure 13 to highlight the hole through which the clamp assembly 10 passes.

[0039] Referring to Figures 15 and 16, two partial plan views of device 3 are shown when device 3 is operating away from the stationary position described above. Figure 15 shows housing 4 pushed to the left relative to base plate member 5 and elongated member 7, with elements 5 and 7 moving toward the flat surface of housing 4, which is known herein as flat surface movement. Cross member pair 8 shows different degrees of movement in its axial direction and is pushed apart to different degrees by compression by spring mechanism 9 on clamp assembly 10. Cross member pair also shows different degrees of movement along orthogonal sides of housing 4 to allow for the overall movement of device 3. Figure 16 shows similar features to those shown in Figure 15, but in this case the movement of housing 4 is upward toward the corners of housing 4 relative to parts 5 and 7, which is known herein as cross-corner movement.

[0040] Figures 15 and 16 schematically illustrate the extreme movements of this preferred embodiment, but the combination of these two movement characteristics allows device 3 to move in any direction in the horizontal plane, across planes and angles.

[0041] From the above description, it will be clear that the configuration shown in Figures 4 to 14 allows for multiple (three in this example) main axes of movement, and that the multi-axis movement that normally occurs during earthquakes is controlled. In some embodiments, two orthogonal axes may be provided, and in other embodiments, four or more axes may be provided. This device is adapted not only to resist movement and absorb energy, but also to return the structure to its initial stationary position. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 1 Supported structure, support base, floor frame, foundation floor frame, superstructure 2. Support structures, foundation piles, foundation systems, foundations, substructures 3. Earthquake-resistant devices, dissipation devices, dissipation devices 4 Housing Walls 5 Base plate member 6 Cover Plate 7 protrusions 8 Cross members, cross arms 9. Spring mechanism, spring assembly 10 bolts, clamping mechanism, clamping assembly 11 Movement control area 81. First Cross Arm 82. Second Cross Arm

Claims

1. It is an earthquake-resistant device, A housing configured to engage with a first structure, A plurality of pairs of cross members relating to the housing, each pair of cross members comprising a plurality of pairs of cross members configured to receive a base plate member or a portion of a base plate member, The base plate member is configured to engage with the second structure, Each pair of cross members is biased toward each other such as to impart a frictional force to the base plate member that resists the axial movement of each pair of cross members relative to the base plate member. The cross member is configured to provide a restoring force to the base plate member, thereby forming an earthquake-resistant device.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the restoring force includes a re-centering force.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the axial movement includes movement along or parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cross member or the pair of cross members.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the base plate member extends substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the base plate member is installed on the second structure.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pair of cross members is arranged perpendicular to the base plate member.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each pair of cross members has a center and overlaps at the center.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pair of cross members are arranged at substantially equal angles to each other.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein there are at least two pairs of the aforementioned cross members.

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the ends of each pair of cross members abut against the wall of the housing.

11. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the pair of cross members is movable parallel to the wall of the housing.

12. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the at least one pair of cross members has a movement control region for controlling the movement of the base plate member.

13. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the base plate member includes a plate and one or more protruding members.

14. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the first structure includes a supported structure and the second structure includes a supporting structure.

15. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, including an earthquake dissipator.

16. A structure comprising the seismic-resistant device described in any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. It is an earthquake dissipation device, A housing configured to engage with a first structure, A plurality of pairs of cross members related to the housing, each pair of cross members comprising a plurality of pairs of cross members configured to receive a portion of a base plate member, Each pair of cross members is biased toward each other such as to impart a frictional force to the base plate member that resists the axial movement of each pair of cross members relative to the base plate member. The cross member is configured to provide a restoring force to the base plate member, in this seismic dissipation device.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the restoring force includes a re-centering force.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, further comprising the base plate member, wherein the base plate member includes one or more protruding members for being received by the cross member.

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